Police dismantle "very dangerous" drug lab in Rijen

The police are working on dismantling a massive drug lab in a residential area of Rijen, Noord-Brabant. The lab was discovered earlier this week in the buildings and cellars of a former tannery. "This was very dangerous. A lot of chemicals, thousands and thousands of liters, if they come into contact with each other, anything can happen. Ranging from a chemical reaction to a spontaneous ignition. That is thus life-threatening for the nearby houses", police spokesperson Eric Passchier said to NOS.

The police found enormous amounts of raw materials for the production of amphetamine in the former business premises on Vincent van Goghstraat. The police called in specialists to investigate exactly what chemicals are involved. And a specialized company is working on removing and destroying the raw materials. The dismantling of the drug lab is expected to take several days.

The laboratory was discovered when police officers noticed suspicious vans driving through the neighborhood. Together with the municipality, they looked into which buildings could be used for illegal activities. They found the massive drug lab in the first one they checked.

Two suspects were arrested, a father ad son. BN De Stem reports that one of the suspects is 37-year-old Freddy T. from Rijen, who was previously convicted in 2006 for the so-called maize murder. A Belgian woman was killed and left in a cornfield